Sometimes a fresh idea makes all the difference!

Allison, you see, only had one flipper. A shark attack had left her with three stumps. When a turtle has one flipper, there is only one option, really–circles, and more circles.

The guy, Jeff George, at the turtle refuge at South Padre Island was clear-

turtles with three flippers can get released back in the wild,

turtle with two flippers can probably make it in the turtle sanctuary

but

turtles with one flipper…not much hope. They are generally euthanized.

They tried prostheses with Allison-but there wasn’t enought residual stump for them to work. She is a one flipper turtle…take it or leave it.

One of the young interns remembered something though. He recalled his days as a kid…rowing with one paddle in an inner tube. Think about it, use your imagination–circles, only circles. Like a one flippered turtle.

But put a kid in a canoe, and rowing with a single paddle is doable.

The difference-the length of the canoe, acting as a rudder.

This intern thought “outside the box”, and let go of the prosthesis idea. He worked with a wet suit that had a rudder. They played with the positioning and size, and one day-VOILA!! Allison is a coordinated turtle that goes where she wants in the tank, feeds herself, and decides when to dive and when to surface.

She still only has one flipper.

But …

someone with a different perspective helped her with some different possibilities.

Take a look:

The interview I heard talked about how the handlers continue to marvel at how Allison has “perked up”, how she revels in her mobility. She is a new turtle with her rudder–and the single fin isn’t so much a problem any more.

Everyone needs some help once in a while to solve a tough situation in new ways. Ask around. Ask for help.

2 Comments

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It makes sense to me. I love the way Carolyn puts things. For me, when this happens, it’s like a light bulb goes on and I “get it”. Over time, when I’m having issues, something Carolyn said will come to mind and it helps me deal with it. I appreciate my appointments with Carolyn and thank her for helping me.

Brenda…thanx for your thoughtful comment! I think that’s part of being human…to sometimes value and gain huge benefit from the fresh perspective of another!…I know that I gain so much when others spend time with me and help me see things from a different angle.